STOCKTON - Ryan Constant was busily signing his name to a long succession of hats, shirts, photos and jerseys when he took notice of an interesting item placed in front of him.

"A Thunder skateboard? Great," he said as he wrote his name on it for a smiling Keri Eveler of Tracy and her daughters Shawna, 10, and Savannah, 15.

They were part of an estimated 600 fans who turned out for the annual Thunder Fan Fest on Sunday at Stockton Arena. The event serves as the preseason party for the Thunder, which opens the season at home Friday against Ontario. Fans were able to see the team go through shooting and skating drills, get autographs and quiz the players and coach Matt Thomas in a question-and-answer session.

It's also a chance for the franchise's supporters to get to know the new players and renew acquaintances with the returnees. Constant spent three seasons with Stockton before playing in Italy last year. He's back and was one of the more popular guys in the arena.

Keri Eveler said she got the skateboard at a Thunder giveaway more than a year ago and Constant is one of Shawna's favorite players.

"My 10-year-old adores him; he was so sweet to her. One time he hugged her when he had a photo taken with her and made her feel special," Eveler said. "He's a really good guy."

The Fan Fest began with the skills demonstration, which included a competition to see who had the fastest slap shot. Constant and Nathan Deck tied at 95 mph. Thomas and veteran enforcer Garet Hunt entertained the crowd with a mock fight on the ice, and the questions for the players ranged from technical hockey questions to their favorite pranks and what they liked to put on their hamburgers.

"For me, it's interesting to see the things that the fans are interested in. That's a neat concept," Thomas said. "And I enjoy seeing the type of personalities you have on your team."

Also Sunday, the Thunder announced forwards Chris Corbeil and Kyle O'Kane and goaltender Ryan Klingensmith had been released.